ACLU challenges law barring recording of police

August 19, 2010

The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois filed a federal lawsuit today against Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez challenging the Illinois Eavesdropping Act, which criminalizes the recording of public conversations with police, according to a complaint filed in federal court in Chicago.

The recordings in this case were created without the consent of the officer and occurred in public places when officers were performing public duties, according to the complaint.

The ACLU wants to end prosecution for recording public conversations with police because the organization believes it is a violation of the First Amendment, according to the complaint.

According to the ACLU, the law has been used to thwart people who want to monitor police activity for misconduct. That includes the ACLU itself, which states in the complaint that it wants to monitor police using recording devices, but it fears Alvarez's office will prosecute the civil rights organization for violating the eavesdropping act.